Arago: 11-cent Hayes

An image of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) of Ohio appears on the 11-cent stamp of the Series of 1922, also known as the Fourth Bureau Issue. A Civil War veteran, Hayes served as president of the United States from 1877 until 1881. The stamp was issued on the 100th anniversary of Hayes’ birth—October 4, 1922—in Washington, D.C., and in Hayes’ hometown, Fremont, Ohio. Issued on a specific day and in a specific city, it is considered by many the beginning of modern 'First Day Cover' collecting.

Hayes had not previously appeared on a postage stamp, and this one, designed by Clair Aubrey Houston, had a vignette apparently based on a photograph taken by Matthew Brady. John Eissler engraved the die for the vignette. The frame was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing, while Edward M. Weeks engraved the lettering in the ribbon. Originally printed on the flat plate press, the Hayes stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary press.